Sleeve for Beverage Containers and Method of Making Same

Abstract

A gripping sleeve for a beverage cup is disclosed. The beverage cup has an outside surface which is tapered from a smaller diameter to a larger diameter bottom to top. The gripping sleeve has an open web of material defining an expandable tube having an inner cup side surface conformable to said outside surface of said beverage cup, and an outer gripping surface, and the tube expands to a maximum tube diameter. The maximum tube diameter is smaller than the larger cup diameter but larger than the smaller cup diameter. The open web is formed from a plurality of strips of material joined together which are oriented generally radially, when viewed from above, between the inner cup side surface and the outer gripping surface. The gripping sleeve provides a gripping surface for a person holding the cup which is spaced apart from said outside surface of said cup.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates generally to the field of beverage containers such as cups. In particular this invention relates to a sleeve for use in association with such beverage cups. Most particularly, this invention relates to a sleeve of the type that permits a person to comfortably hold a hot or cold beverage cup without being unduly affected by the temperature of the cup.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Paper or plastic cups are commonly used in quick service restaurants for hot beverages such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate and the like. Cold beverages such as frozen drinks may also be dispensed in such thin paper or plastic beverage cups. More specifically, many large retail coffee chains dispense large numbers of cups of coffee and tea in thin-walled paper cups. Such paper cups are attractive as they may be made from recycled paper and are relatively inexpensive. However, the cups upon being filled with hot coffee and tea or the like, are typically too ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018]The present invention provides an expandable tube which can be used as a sleeve on a beverage cup. The sleeve can be made from recycled paper which is readily compostable, or which can be recycled, and which is also relatively inexpensive. The present invention provides a single adaptable sleeve which can be fit to various cup tapers without difficulty. The sleeve may be made from thin strips, preferably paper strips, as noted above, which reduces the amount of material required as compared to prior art designs and yet is more effective at spacing the person's fingers away from the extreme temperature (hot or cold) of a beverage cup. The paper strips can be joined together to form an open web. The strips are preferably oriented generally radially relative to the outside circumference of the cup, when viewed from above. The joints can help to reinforce the web against gripping pressure permitting thin strips to be used. By having short spans between the joints the strips are securely held in a preferred radial orientation in the web, and are able to resist twisting or crushing under moderate gripping pressure. Further, the use of such joints reinforces the web against stress, opposite to the stress raiser of the prior art. The present invention is easy to make and can be collapsed into a compact form to facilitate shipping and storage and yet easily expanded for use by the end user.

Problems solved by technology

7 mm also works, but may be unnecessarily large.

It will be understood that the heat conduction radially outwardly along the thin strip of paper will be very poor, meaning that very little, if any, heat will be transported through the strip to the user's fingers.

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